Is technology creating unemployment?!

Rapid developments in the technology has made human civilization easier in the 21st century. IT has changed every aspect of our lives from the way we live to the way we work. Within a blink of our eyes the important documents can be exchanged which was much more difficult in the earlier days. We no longer have to stand in long queues to book a ticket. The latest Industry Revolution 4.0 has been focusing more on extensive use of technology. The world has come very closer. You don't have to travel abroad or to any other locations for the meetings. Every presentation in the corporate world can be done by just a simple conference call. The concept of work from home, has also advanced during this period of a global pandemic. It has made the people realize that there is no need for having multi-storey buildings to run offices. The normal working of the IT industry can be done without the requirement of such huge infrastructure.

But all this raises a question in my mind, does technology cause unemployment? Does it affect the lower and uneducated sectors of the society? Are the educated and literate the only ones who benefit from such advancements? Let's have a look -

• The use of technology increases the amount of accuracy in the job. It doesn't cause unemployment, but just shifts the human labor towards different kinds of jobs. If you adapt to it, you can no longer remain unemployed!
• The use of machines and robots for every task in the industry lead to the development of a large number of small scale industries, eventually creating more job opportunities. The use of AI and machine learning helps to find patterns in purchase, eventually increasing the customer base as well as sales.
• Research by an English based Deloitte Consultancy analysed employment trends for the past 140 years and reported that Technology created more jobs than it took away. Looking at the number of engineers and technical personnel graduating per year, it is necessary to create more and more job opportunities for them.
• Because of the use of technology, people no longer have to do repetitive tasks. Instead, industries are focusing more on multitasking. Robots can be programmed to perform a certain task and the man-power available can be used else-where, where robots are of not much use.
• Replacement of labor by robotics devices has lessen the amount of accidents in the industries and factories. In the earlier phases of the Industrial Revolutions, we have observed lethal accidents in the workshops, at times even leading to the death of the workers. Here, if in case a robot gets damaged, the loss is repairable.
• It has also increased the return on investment and has made the manufacturing cost effective. The investments made for purchasing the machinery as well as their maintenance is far more lesser than the daily wages spent on the laborers. It also makes manufacturing cost effective as there is a very minute possibility of having errors.
• Coming to the educational sector, technology has developed opportunities for online education by the use of YouTube Channels. There are android apps that help you prepare for competitive exams. Education has been made a lot more easier. Prestigious institutes like IITs have free online lectures that can provide the students with the same level of education as provided in the IITs.
• Use of technology in E-Commerce has created multiple job opportunities in the form of delivery boys. For this job profile, you need not be an engineer or some graduate. If you are willing to work, you can get a job. Also, the E-Commerce websites have warehouses to store the stock. There are people required to maintain these ware-houses, thus creating newer job opportunities.

All the above points fall in the limelight only when you live in a city. But what effect it has on the people in the rural areas? Do they have a proper access to internet remains the first and foremost question!

• India is a country having its backbone in the villages. The rural areas are more likely to have low skilled labors as compared to tech-savy intellectuals. Because the low skilled labors remain unemployed, the poverty across the nation increases.
• As per the reports, there has been a major decrease in the number of typists, weavers and construction workers. Of course, the reason behind this can be the replacement of humans with robots.
• Dependency over the machines and technology has also increased over the time. For example, if in a bank the internet goes down, the entire operations are on hold. Businesses depending upon the internet are more prone to cyber attacks. Every other information present on the web can be stolen. You cannot guarantee any monetary transaction to be safe and secure. It is like, you are always taking a risk.
• Because of the upcoming trend of E-Commerce, the local vendors have been losing customers at a great pace. Majority of the customers usually prefer to order online, rather then visiting the shops. One more reason to this is the additional discount provided on online shopping. You don't get such discounts at local vendors, that is why people are more likely to opt for online shopping.

We cannot disagree to the fact that technology has become an inevitable part of our day to day life. Every other thing we do is highly dependent on technology. Although, it is important to maintain a balance between humans and technology.

The human efforts required for the completion of a task are irreplaceable. But it is also important for every individual to keep oneself updated with the latest advancements around the world.

We cannot deny the accuracy provided by the machines and software, but it is important to understand that technology should be used only when it is feasible over humans. Simply replacing every human effort with technology is not the solution.

Shifting completely to an online base for corporates is not advisable because it hampers the work culture. But we can think of a midway where the investments made on infrastructure could be lessened by making use of these online resources.

For low-skilled laborers, workshops can be conducted in order to introduce them to the new machinery. Day by day, the advancements in the machinery are inevitable and in fact are essential. But that should not lead to the unemployment of these laborers. Instead even they should too put a step forward and try to adapt.

Also, the literacy rate around the country should be increased. Providing economical and quality education to all must be the moto. It is a very high time that we focus on increasing the literacy rate too, looking at the population boom that has been happening over the decades.

According to me, in this way we can gear up our pace of development and to establish a newer and a more literate India!